This invention relates generally to lawn cutting apparatus, and more particularly to an attachment for a machine having a rotary head carrying lengths of monofilament material which cut grass as the head rotates, commonly called a line trimmer.
A line trimmer is most often used to cut grass growing around fence posts, trees or the like, and for this purpose is generally used with the cutting head in its normal position, in which the axis of rotation of the head is approximately vertical. However, it is simple to turn the trimmer sideways, and the trimmer can be used in this orientation, with its axis of rotation horizontal, to cut an edge, for example along a sidewalk. However, cutting an edge this way freehand usually does not produce a particularly straight or attractive edge. Therefore, prior inventors have proposed various types of attachments for converting a line trimmer to function as an edger. Representative prior U.S. Pat. Nos. include the following:
3,788,049--Erlich PA0 4,224,784--Hansen et al. PA0 4,364,435--Tuggle et al. PA0 4,442,659--Enbusk PA0 4,679,385--Carmine PA0 4,712,363--Claborn PA0 4,756,148--Gander et al. PA0 4,803,831--Carmine PA0 4,914,899--Carmine PA0 4,922,694--Emoto PA0 4,981,012--Claborn
Carmine's patents show a device including an edge guide that runs along the edge of a sidewalk. Several of the above patents show single-wheel guides. Enbusk shows a device which clamps on the drive tube of the trimmer. None of the prior devices of which we are aware is sufficiently simple and easy to install and use to have achieved commercial success.